Luis Valencia Jr., has returned to his family business over and over again after working other jobs. He said nothing else has been as satisfying — nor as filling.

He’s the proprietor of La Carreta Mexican Cuisine and Cantina, a San Diego County-based Mexican restaurant that recently opened a second location in November in a strip mall along Margarita Road in Temecula.

“This is my calling: to continue my dad’s legacy,” he said.

His father, Luis Valencia Sr., opened the original La Carreta in Alpine in 1980 after stopping by a Mexican restaurant for sale on his way home to El Cajon. That restaurant became La Carreta, where the elder Valencia crafted numerous unique dishes that were influenced by the recipes of his mother, grandmother and aunts and uncles, all of whom lived in different regions of Mexico.

The interior of La Carreta Mexican Cuisine and Cantina in Temecula. Courtesy of La Carreta Mexican Cuisine and Cantina.

The chile relleno and beef taco dinner combination at La Carreta Mexican Cuisine and Cantina in Temecula. The restaurant is one of two locations, with the original being in Alpine. Courtesy of La Carreta Mexican Cuisine and Cantina.

Luis Valencia Sr. died in 1995, but his recipes were carried on by his wife and children, who saw the restaurant through good times and bad, and a move to a bigger location in 2009.

The Temecula outpost serves all the same menu items as the original restaurant, including enchiladas, chile rellenos and tamales, but there will also be some new additions.

Valencia, who moved to the Temecula area with his young family two years ago, came upon the then-vacant space on his way to Costco about a year ago. It turned out to be the perfect location for a second restaurant, he said.

“When I checked it out, I was like, man, this is sweet,” Valencia said. “It’s the same layout as the other place — it has the bar on one side, patio on one, dining room on the other so it separates different groups of people.”

Valencia is buzzing with ideas for the Temecula location. He said that the restaurant is planning to roll out a new brunch menu in the coming weeks with offerings such as an eggs benedict with chorizo and avocado hollandaise sauce on torta bread. He said he wants to add vegan-friendly items to the menu, too.

Inside, the restaurant has modern decor and is lit by dozens of light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Wood paneled walls are the backdrop for Mexican folk art paintings. Ceramic sugar skull planters with air plants are the centerpiece of each table.

Valencia Jr. says he plans to paint a mural representing Temecula — with a village and vineyards — to mirror a mural representing Alpine he painted at the other restaurant.

Valencia Jr. has two children, a 5-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter. He said that while they’re much too young to be working in the kitchen, they are always excited to come to the restaurant and see their dad in action.

“When they do come and visit they want to help out, and it’s pretty cool,” he said. “It reminds me of how I was with my dad, too.”

Alex Groves writes about casinos for the entertainment team at Southern California News Group. He started his first full-time gig as a breaking news reporter for The Press-Enterprise in 2015 but has also written stories on arts programs at local high schools, dining and events. In his free time, Alex enjoys hiking and traveling. A craft beer enthusiast, Alex likes to bring back an IPA as a souvenir from every new place he travels.